2011 Skoda Roomster news, pictures, specifications, and information

With the Skoda Fabia series, Skoda Auto has established a strong foundation for its five-car portfolio. The supermini's family roots are evident throughout. From the bold, elegant lines of its exterior styling down to its smallest component, the Fabia exemplifies Skoda's attention to detail through simple, clever solutions and innovation. And now, in spring 2010, the Skoda Fabia has been completely revised wîth a new face and an even greater emphasis on energy efficiency and comfort. The breadth of its technical innovations goes far beyond a mere facelift.

The Skoda Fabia Combi and Skoda Roomster also receive the bold new look inside and out as well as numerous technical changes under the skin. But while the looks might have changed, the characteristics of this multi-talented pair have not have not. With luggage capacity of 505 litres wîth its rear seats in place and 1485 litres wîth them flat, the Skoda Fabia Combi continues to provide the sort of boot space that exceeds what is normally offered in this class. Meanwhile the Skoda Roomster, wîth its extremely versatile VarioFlex rear seat system, continues to fulfil the requirements of families and active people alike. Its boot volume can be extended from a minimum of 480 litres to 1810 litres, making the Skoda Roomster a load-carrying champion.

The new Skoda Fabia RS also celebrates its premiere at the 2010 Geneva Motorshow and, for the first time, the sportiest Skoda Fabia is available as an estate. Its combination of a high performance 132 kW (180 bhp) engine and low fuel consumption of just 6.4 itres/100 km mark it out as a class leader.

With these variants of the Skoda Fabia series, Skoda Auto offers a model range in the small-car §egmènt to meet almost every customer need.

The completely redesigned front end incorporates strong horizontal forms, which visually lower the Skoda Fabia despite its unchanged height. The Fabia now looks much more dynamic but does so without compromising any of its comfort. 'With this redevelopment no component escaped our notice,' outlines Development Executive Eckhard Scholz of the comprehensive redesign. The reason behind the redesign lies in the range of new, state-of-the-art and often turbo-charged engines, which debut in the Skoda Fabia, including a twin-charged unit. The comprehensive changes in the engine programme made it necessary to redevelop the Skoda Fabia's front end and so the opportunity to reprofile its face was taken. The bumper and its mountings, the headlamp shapes, the bonnet and the front floor area - nothing is shared from the previous Skoda Fabia.

The new grille and the three-dimensionally shaped headlamps define the new look of the Skoda Fabia, their horizontal lines emphasising the front end's width. 'The proportions appear a lot more relaxed,' states Skoda's Chief Designer, Jozef Kaban. Its new face is more confident and dynamic yet also more elegant and mature: it now appeals on an emotional level.

Despite its redesign, the Skoda Fabia's existing virtues haven't been forgotten. The visor-like window surface which wraps around the passenger compartment has always been a key feature of the Skoda Fabia, and remains so. The option for a complementary roof paint have been kept.

Thanks to the new headlamps which stretch back into the front wings, its side profile appears lengthened, while the Skoda Fabia's elegant rear lights feature Skoda's trademark C-shaped graphic. All of these features ensure that the new Fabia continues to exemplify the brand.

New wheel trims and aluminium wheel designs, together wîth the new colour options of Rally Green, Aqua Blue and Pacific Blue, finish off the renewal of the smallest Skoda. The hatchback versions of the Skoda Fabia are now also available wîth roof rails for the first time. Lightweight construction and attention to detail keep their weight down to just two kilograms.

Inside, the passenger compartment is enhanced by new materials and visual refinements. The chrome air vent inserts, gear lever frame and handbrake button convey the Skoda Fabia's high quality. The new three- and four-spoke are now optionally leather-covered and wîth multi-function control of the audio and telephone systems. Attractive, breathable seat covers and upgraded Climatronic air conditioning controls give the new Skoda Fabia the feel of a car from a much higher class.

The driver's information display has also been redesigned, the central screen now featuring a gear-change indicator, which makes a significant contribution to higher fuel economy. On versions wîth DSG gearbox the selected gear is displayed, while the constant display of the outside temperature in the central screen is a significant safety feature. The function of the Tempomat and speed-limit warnings show the permitted top speed in countries wîth motorway speed limits and on vehicles wîth speed-restrictions due to winter tyres.

The previous monochrome, arrow-based graphics of the Skoda Fabia's navigation system have now been replaced by the sophisticated Amundsen system from larger Skodas. It features a five-inch touchscreen, SD card reader and a connection point for external memory devices. An additional Mobile Device Interface (MDI) for use wîth the iPod, Aux-In, ÚSB and Mini-ÚSB units is also available and located in the lower glovebox. This replaces the previous CD changer.

The GSM phone preparation is also new. The system is able to maintain two different Bluetooth connections at the same time via audio streaming. This means you can phone via the hands-free device while listening to music from an additional external source. Both connections can be operated via the buttons on the optional multi-function leather §teering wheel. Voice control is also activated via a button on the multi-function leather §teering wheel or on the phone holster of the GSM II Comfort system.

The new Skoda Fabia's enhanced engine range is at the heart of all the innovations. A total of seven petrol and three diesel engines are available. Power outputs range from 44 kW (60 bhp) to 132 kW (180 bhp) for the petrol engines, while the diesel units deliver between 55 kW (75 bhp) and 77 kW (105 bhp). All the engines meet EÚ5 exhaust emissions regulations, offer excellent fuel efficiency and, therefore, extremely low CO2 emissions. All cars wîth manual gearboxes include a gear selection indicator to encourage fuel-efficient driving. An arrow on the dashboard insert screen suggests when to change gears in order to keep the engine in its most efficient rev range.

As elsewhere in the Skoda family, the engine range is determined by the art of downsizing. Drastically reduced engine capacities are supplemented by turbo-charging or double-charging and high precision direct fuel injection in order to achieve the optimal combination of performance as well as fuel efficiency. Turbo-charging significantly increases torque levels, particularly on petrol engines, while the pulling power is available from much lower revs than wîth conventional, naturally-aspirated engines. The top power unit of the Skoda Fabia series is the four-cylinder petrol engine in the Skoda Fabia RS. Despite its capacity of just 1.4-litres, double-charging via a turbocharger wîth wastegate and a mechanical, shiftable supercharger ensures that the power output is 132 kW (180 bhp) while peak torque is a similarly impressive 250 Nm from 2,000 rpm right through to 4,500rpm. Despite the muscular performance, combined consumption is just 6.4 l/100km while CO2 emissions are just 148 g/km.

But the performance wasn't the only development target. The environmental compatibility, smooth running and hence noise levels of the engines set new standards in the Skoda Fabia. When connected to the optimised seven-speed direct shift DSG - the new 1.2 TSI engine wîth 77 kW (105 bhp) offers outstandingly low running costs. Fuel consumption of just 5.3 litres petrol per 100 km (53.3 mpg) and CO2 emissions of only 124 g/km are exceptional for its performance level. The 1.2 TSI is offered in two performance levels - 63 kW (86 bhp) and 77 kW (105 bhp). Both are combined wîth a smooth manual five-speed gearbox as standard.

As well as engine improvements, the reduction of friction and the adoption of lightweight construction also increase efficiency. For the 1.2 litre three cylinder engines a new, weight-reduced crankshaft has been developed, which is 1.7 kg lighter than its predecessor. Resources are also saved in production: the casting is a whole kilogram lighter than before and there are fewer production residues.

The diesel engines offer a performance spectrum from 55 kW (75 bhp) to 77 kW (105 bhp), wîth capacities of 1.2- and 1.6-litres. All are equipped wîth a diesel particulate filter and high pressure injection via a common-rail system. With an injection pressure of up to 1,600 bar is achieved, and fast-response Piezo injectors which allow up to five injections per cycle, engine refinement is noticeably improved and there is a drastic reduction of both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. An additional cleaning of the exhaust gases is achieved by an oxidation catalyst and the exhaust gas recirculation in all diesel engine versions of the Skoda Fabia series.

A further development area was the reduction of the noise level of the two 1.2 HTP three-cylinder petrol engines. Instead of the normal sleeve-type camshaft chain, a toothed chain was chosen, whose three-part chain elements roll more smoothly and quietly on the gear wheels. This creates significantly reduced running noises, especially during the overrun operation of the three cylinder engines, mainly at higher revs, which were previously perceived as unpleasant. Sound levels through the most commonly used rev range, between 1,600 and 3,400 rpm are also clearly reduced.

The new headlamp system has been designed to offer dazzle-free and wide illumination whether reflector or projector units are fitted. An energy-efficient daytime running light system is integrated into the new double-chamber fog lamps, roughly halving their energy consumption. This technology also allows a better illumination of the road in fog.

In emergency braking situations - 7 m/s2 at more than 60 km/h - the brake lights or hazard warning lights flash at a frequency of 3 Hz to warn the following traffic. If, after the emergency braking, the speed is under 10 km/h and the deceleration is under 2.5 m/s2, the hazard warning lights come on wîth their normal cycle (1.25 Hz) to alert the following drivers.

To increase security, the Skoda Fabia's the windows can be controlled via the key's remote control. This can be used to close the windows when leaving the car or open the window from a distance to cool the interior if it is parked in direct sunlight.

In any case, the anti-theft system in the new Fabia has become even more resilient. A new generation immobiliser protects the new Skoda Fabia more effectively against theft.

Mechanically, a bigger brake servo makes the new Skoda Fabia more responsive during braking thanks to the bigger cylinder. This allows a faster and, above all, more sensitive retardation.

Together wîth the finely-tuned running gear, independent four-wheel suspension - by McPherson struts and triangular wishbones and a rear torsion beam - as well as the excellent crash safety of the body, the Skoda Fabia offers a more comprehensive protection and comfort than ever before.

The Škoda Roomster is a unique MPV.

It is spacious enough for your family and communal trips to the country, to cultural events or to visit friends. It is sporty enough for active leisure time. It is stylish enough for your trips around town and for entertainment. It is powerful enough to transport anything you need. It is dynamic enough to provide a unique driving experience.

This is how you know the Roomster. But now it comes wîth something new …

ExteriorThe new design of the front bumper and the fog lamps, the stronger radiator grill, the ellipsoid shape, and the sophisticated optics of the front headlamps lend the Roomster robustness and stability.

The new colour tones of the body, the attractive coloured roof and the extensive selection of light alloy wheels allows you to give free expression to you fantasies and choose a car which will become part of your personality.

The dynamic lines of the body retain characteristic features such as the front door handles integrated into the column, or the large unconventionally shaped windows.

InteriorThe completely new covers and patterns intensify the driving experience. The innovative design of the instrument panel and the air-conditioning control elements are not simply a question of aesthetics, but offer a host of new functions. There are multifunctional §teering wheels for comfortable and safe control of the radio and telephone.

The Roomster continues to excel in terms of its internal space and practical variability. Thanks to the VarioFlex rear seat system all your needs are met. There is also sufficient storage space and clever details, because your comfort is of paramount importance to us.

In the sphere of safety the Roomster is a carefully tried-and-tested vehicle. This is corroborated by tests of the independent organisation Euro NCAP, in which the Roomster scored five stars.

But even perfection can be improved, and so the new Škoda Roomster has come up wîth innovations to the offer of electronic stability assistant systems.

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